Name:
Dawn Xiana Moon
Also Known As:
D-Town, Saturn, Princess Leia, Dawny, Mulan, Sis, That Girl with the Guitar,
and a few nicknames too horrible to mention
In Her Own Words:
You could say that music is one of my passions, but those words aren't
entirely adequate--music is a part of me, one of the ways in which
I both express and define myself; for me, home is a piano in a dark
room. I've been singing, writing, and playing that instrument for
almost my entire life.
But there's a problem with classical training: the ability to improvise doesn't come naturally. You spend so much time learning how to read someone else's music, how to interpret the piece correctly based on compositional style and era that you don't learn how to create the tapestry yourself, no matter how strong the Muse. Enter my freshman year at the University of Michigan and a new instrument: the guitar. I'd wanted to play for years, but when I finally sat down with the strings I found total anarchy--suddenly there were no key signatures on manuscript filled with black dots to guide me: all I had were chords. "But how do I figure out how I'm supposed to strum this?" "Just do what seems to fit." What? After my confusion passed, the proverbial new world opened its doors to me. Two months later, I performed my first original song.
Now this singer-songwriter thing has consumed a large part of my
life, and I'd be happy to have it overwhelm more. I count 80 songs in my catalogue and
released a four-song EP entitled First
Verse (why only four songs? Because studio sessions are expensive). Currently
I'm working on my first full-length album, though we haven't yet set a release date.
The rest of my time goes to a "minor" obsession called swing dancing--I've
danced in cities around the country and taken workshops and lessons
with nationally and internationally respected instructors; writing
both articles and creative work (I'm the former editor of the Movies section of
RelevantMagazine.com); freelance graphic/web design; and a bit
of modeling. I graduated
from the University of Michigan with an AB in English Language
& Literature and Theatre & Drama--concentrations considered impractical
in the so-called real world, but hey, I haven't hit the real world
yet. And I hope I never do.
Birthday: August 27
Number of Siblings: One younger brother
Favorite Season: Autumn
Craziest Thing You've Ever Done: Skydiving (is it really that crazy?)
Number of Countries Visited: Thirteen
Australia (Perth, Syndney)
Austria (Innsbruck, Salzburg)
Belgium (Brugge, Brussels)
Canada (Niagara, Stratford, Windsor)
England (London, Windsor)
France (Paris, Caen)
Germany (Rothenburg)
Italy (Venice)
Luxembourg
Malaysia (Penang, Kuala Lumpur)
Scotland (Ayr, Edinburgh)
Singapore
Switzerland (Lucerne, Zurich)
Languages Spoken: Other than the obvious English, French
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